Thunderbirds

Starring: Sylvia Anderson, David Holliday, David Graham, Matt Zimmerman
First Aired: September 30, 1965
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $962,000 per episode (adjusted for inflation)
Thunderbirds were yet another popular British television show. Sylvia and Gerry Anderson, the owners of the production business AP Films, were responsible for the creation of this science fiction series. The ITC program had a massive budget of about $1 million per show, which made it the most expensive show ever. This was due to the use of special effects in the presentation, which did not feature any human actors. Thunderbirds made use of “supermarionation,” which is a type of electric marionette puppetry that is quite advanced. Scale models were used to create the special effects segments for the film. It only lasted two seasons since it couldn’t be sustained on a commercial basis. Following the rejection of the show by American networks, despite the efforts of Anderson’s funder, Lew Grade, the show was canceled.

Thunderbirds

The Ernie Kovacs Show

Starring: Ernie Kovacs, Edie Adams, Jolene Brand, Boris Karloff, Bill Wendell
First Aired: April 1953
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $15 per week (for props)*

The Ernie Kovacs show starred not only Ernie Kovacs, but also Boris Karloff, Bill Wendell, Jolene Brand and Edie Adams. This show is part of an elite group of shows that were broadcast on all four U.S. networks during TV’s golden age. It appeared in various formats in several time slots. The show was in the format of a late-night talk show, combined with Saturday Night Live. This show was insanely popular; people even sent in homemade props! Reportedly, the prop budget was a lowly $15 a week as a consequence.

The Ernie Kovacs Show